The Dark Side Of Truth
by Ink Spotz
Summary: Captain Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise thought that he would be able to take down Khan like any other enemy he had faced. What he didn't expect was the dark revelation about his own past that caused him to question where his loyalties really lay, and what this dark side of truth could mean for the future of the galaxy. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

One button held the entire fate of the galaxy.

Kirk looked down at it; his hand hovering over the top of it. His palm felt electrified by doing so; adrenaline coursing through him. His thoughts flip-flopped in his mind, causing him to doubt in his decision. Even though a lot had happened to him in a small span of time, he knew deep down in his gut what the right thing to do in this moment was. He had to trust in this gut feeling, and realize that the repercussions of his actions would be for the better of the galaxy, not just for the better of himself.

As his hand slowly moved to press down on the button, he tuned out any protest that might form. His eyes fixated out the window in front of him instead, ready to watch the effects of his actions; ready to take responsibility for what side he had ultimately chosen.

* * *

 **One Week Earlier**

"Kirk. Kirk. Kirk."

"Stop," he said silently, flicking up his free hand behind him to silence the voice. He used his fingers to enlarge the image on the screen in front of him, once again turning the angle of the picture in all possible directions to try to burn the image into his mind.

" _Captain_ Kirk."

"Spock," he turned around slightly then, peering over his shoulder. "Just because you added the word 'Captain' to my name will not guarantee that you will be able to obtain my full attention."

"It did though, didn't it? You're talking to me."

Kirk smirked and rolled his eyes before going back to the image on the screen.

"Always have to be the smart one, don't you?"

"I am Vulcan, Captain."

"Right...can't forget that."

Kirk spread his fingers wide over the screen again, zooming in on the face of the man that was at the moment piercing terror into the hearts of many. This man that was pictured before him wore a deadly and serious expression upon his angular face; his aquamarine eyes ignited with a touch of fire from his soul. His raven hair was slicked back on the top of his head, displaying his calm, collected nature. Kirk couldn't understand why this man intrigued him so much. He had seen many a villainous people in his lifetime, but never had anyone made his mind spin as much as Khan.

"We really must be heading off, Captain. Star Fleet will wonder what is wrong if we don't..."

"One minute, Spock..."

A loud cling sounded out throughout the docked Enterprise then, causing Kirk to jerk his attention away from the screen in his hands. He turned to look at Spock, he stared at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"What was that noise?"

A beep sounded in the bridge followed by the frantic voice of Scotty.

"Sorry, Captain. We seemed to have run into a bit of a mishap down here, but I'm working on repairing it at this very moment..."

Spock turned away and looked as if he were about to message the bridge of his nose to abate a headache. Kirk rolled his eyes at Spock, finding it amusing how many human traits he was allowing himself to demonstrate now that he wasn't as ashamed to admit his human side.

"What kind of mishap, Scotty?"

"Well...um...you see, Captain...The warp core seems to have garnered a teeny tear, but it's nothing that can't be fixed soon."

"How soon is soon?"

"Give or take an hour."

"An hour?!" exclaimed Spock as he whipped back around. "We need to catch up with the rest of Star Fleet right now."

Kirk held up a hand to hold Spock back as he responded to Scotty.

"Resume what you were doing then, and thank you for the update."

"As you wish, Captain."

As soon as communication was dropped, Kirk turned to look at Spock who appeared completely disgruntled by the whole thing.

"Captain, are you really going to stand for the delay? This is completely unprofessional, and irresponsible..."

"Spock, cool it," said Kirk as he walked past him to take up a seat in the Captain's chair; the tablet tucked under his arm. He proceeded to look at the picture on the screen again as Spock stood rooted to his spot, looking at Kirk incredulously.

"Cool it? Cool what exactly?"

Kirk smirked at Spock's comment. Though he was showing more traits of a human, he still couldn't seem to fully grasp human sayings yet.

"I thought you were smart, Spock. Thought you were Vulcan."

"Sarcasm is not appropriate at this time, Captain..."

"Then why are you holding back a laugh?" asked Kirk as he briefly looked up to establish eye contact with Spock to see that he was indeed biting his lower lip to hold in a laugh.

"That's beside the point..."

"Is it?" asked Kirk as he looked back down at the screen.

"It's unhealthy what you are doing right now."

"I'm getting to know the enemy," said Kirk, biting his lower lip as he looked at the man on the screen. He seemed to have a magnetic pull for Kirk. For some odd reason, deep in his gut, he had the feeling that this man wasn't the enemy, but that couldn't be. Star Fleet had been informed of this man's actions and were readying to pursue him in force.

"Getting to know the enemy? Captain, how much information are you expecting to garner from a mere photograph of a tragic explosion?"

"Enough, Spock," he said, hoping that it would serve as a dual answer so Spock would lay off him.

"As you wish," said Spock, catching the hint. He moved to his own side of the bridge, casting a quick glance behind his back at Kirk.

Kirk finally clicked off the image in his hands, having burned the image into his memory. This man, whoever he was, was going to continue holding Kirk's fascination until he captured him. Kirk was about to press a button to see if Scotty might be able to hurry up on patching the warp core when an intense headache overtook him. Wincing, he closed his eyes as blurry images flashed through his mind. He could see crystal white light everywhere; flashes of familiar faces looking down at him from where he lay. He shivered as the images plagued his memory so much that Spock called Bones to deck to take him. Bones was immediately by Kirk's side, gripping his arm as he knelt in front of him.

"Jim, look at me. What's wrong?"

Kirk gasped as he opened his eyes and looked into Bone's worried face. He panted slightly, as if the distorted images caused him to become out of breath. He shook his head quickly as if to dispute the fact that anything was wrong with him.

"I'm fine, Bones...Really."

"Are you quite certain, Captain?" piped up Spock as he moved to rise from his seat.

"I'm certain...Just a small headache."

Bones dug into a pouch at his side to hand Kirk some pills to help ease the pain of the headache.

"In my medical opinion, Jim, I don't think that you should be commanding right now. You're not in the right frame of mind to. Spock can assume your position until your headache abates completely. We don't need this happening when we close in on the target."

"What are you, my doctor?" asked Kirk with a sarcastic grin before nodding his head; the pain returning. He quickly popped the pills into his mouth, swallowing them despite the lack of water. Maybe rest would help his weary head. "Spock, you're in control until I return from lying down. However, if Scotty happens to fix the core in my absence and we are able to close in on the target, I expect you to wake me, understand?"

"Understood, Captain," replied Spock as he rose to assume his new post on the bridge.

Bones helped Kirk up out of his chair, despite Kirk's protests, and led him to a bed in the medical bay. Kirk got onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling as a pulsing pain from the headache remained resided in his temple. He turned his head to look at Bones; his aquamarine gaze reflected in the curved mirror above Bone's head. Those eyes... _his_ eyes. They now seemed like the eyes of a stranger. Fighting off a shiver, Kirk made himself close his eyes in an attempt to sleep. As Kirk's breathing evened out, and Bones finished checking Kirk's vitals for safety purposes, the room temperature began to drop. Bones had no idea why and decided to go question Scotty about it. He took one last fleeting look at Kirk before turning to leave the room to go figure out what was going on with the temperature change.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

" _James Tiberius Kirk, Christopher Pike wants to see you now."_

 _Newly recruited Kirk looked up and towards the door from his seat in the waiting room. He had been waiting for hours to hear his name spoken. He didn't care that the attendant who called his name used his full name nor the fact that he said it in a sarcastic manner. He was just thankful that he might finally be able to receive his assignments and start feeling like he belonged in the Star Fleet Academy._

 _As Kirk strode towards the door, he could feel himself walking much more stiffly as if having an erect posture would make him more presentable. He knew that people viewed him as the 'rebel that skidded by'. He wanted to change people's perceptions on him, and he figured that acting professional in any capacity might change that._

 _Kirk was led through the hall and to a door that stood slightly ajar. Being polite, he rapped a fist on the door. The friendly bellow of 'come in' greeted his ears as he slipped past the door to see Captain Christopher Pike seated behind his mahogany desk. Pike took a second to look up at Kirk, but once he finally did, he gestured towards a seat._

" _I won't keep you long. I realize you have work to do, especially if you plan on doing what your father did in three years."_

 _Kirk walked with leaden strides towards the chair before sitting down. He flexed his hands out on to his thighs, surprised that they had already become sweaty. He was nervous beyond a shadow of a doubt, and couldn't remember a time previous to this when he had been so nervous._

 _Pike shifted some papers on his desk and soon rose and handed one to Kirk._

" _Here is where you will start your training. I have all of your classes and locations drawn out in a map just so you don't get lost."_

" _I won't get lost," said Kirk slowly, smiling slyly up at Pike who just chuckled._

" _Don't get too cocky, Kirk."_

" _Is that leaving me permission to be cocky somewhat then, Captain?"_

 _Kirk felt himself relaxing as he felt Pike feeding off his sarcasm and allowing him to bounce back with witty rebuttals. He had tried to be proper, but it just wasn't in his DNA. He was wired differently than the others. Pike smirked at Kirk and shook his head._

" _As I said, Kirk. Don't be too cocky. You might think that you know everything, but there is still a lot you have to learn."_

 _Kirk bowed his head slightly to acknowledge that he heard and absorbed the knowledge that Pike had just bestowed on him before rising from his seat._

" _Shall I go now, Captain?"_

" _Wait, one more thing."_

 _Pike let out a small groan as he rose from his chair and strode towards the closet. He threw the door open before turning slightly to observe Kirk._

" _You look the same size as your father..."_

 _He dug in the closet and withdrew a red Star Fleet uniform with the lapel and all. He crossed the small expanse of the room to give it to Kirk with a soft smile, locking his eyes on his._

" _Wear this with pride, son."_

 _Kirk gave him a soft smile back as he took the uniform and held it tight to his chest. That had been the first time that a man had ever referred to him as a 'son' in a pleasant light. For one split second, it felt like his long lost father was looking down on him, proud for this new step he had taken in his life._

* * *

"Scotty!" shouted Bones as he reached the engine room, peering through plumes of steam in his search for the man.

Clinks and clangs answered his call, along with muttered curses. Bones followed the trail of sounds along the metallic bridge, jogging down the few steps that stood between him and Scotty as he worked on repairing the core.

"Scotty!" repeated Bones, trying to say his name a tad louder.

That did the trick this time. Scotty jumped at the sound of his name before whipping around to see Bones standing there with both brows raised and his hands up.

"How many times do I have to call your name before you answer? I don't really feel like playing a game of 'Marco Polo' with you."

"Nor do I..." remarked Scotty as he dragged his arm across his red and sweaty face, "But next time, don't call me out like a dog, yeah? Besides..." He jerked a thumb behind his back at the sputtering core. "She's pretty loud and I'm on a time schedule. I told the Captain that I would have her up and at 'em in an hour or so. Why are you down here, McCoy?"

"I am here because I'm freezing."

"Eh?" asked Scotty; both brows shooting skywards in confusion. "What do your personal problems have to do with me?"

"Is your tampering with the core affecting the temperature in the ship?"

Scotty shook his head as he looked down at the watch on his wrist, cursing at the lack of time he had left. He bent to retrieve some tools from the toolbox on the floor before answering Bones.

"No. My work has nothing to do with the temperature of the ship. Did you happen to check the temperature gauge?"

"Yes, of course. I checked it before I made the long trek down here."

"Well then, what did the gauge tell you?"

"It told me that the rest of the ship was at a normal temperature, while the medical bay had a temperature that proved worthy of starting an ice age."

Scotty rolled his eyes as he found the tool he wanted, withdrawing it from among the others.

"Perhaps there is a draft. This ship isn't exactly in its glory days anymore."

"You talk as if the Enterprise has one foot in the grave. It was christened not too long ago, Scotty!"

"I don't know what you expect me to tell you, McCoy. I don't work miracles. Put on a coat if you're cold."

Bones muttered under his breath as he turned and started to walk back towards the medical bay to check on Kirk. As he was leaving, he heard a loud bang followed by Scotty's not so quiet yell. He paused at the exit to the engine room with a small smirk before leaving. He felt that coming down to figure out why it was cold was a miserable waste of his time.

* * *

 _The shooting and yelling was ringing in Kirk's ears as he lay on his stomach on the ground; hands over his ears. Shards of glass lay all about his body like snow, reflecting the trauma going on above him. As soon as the initial shots had died down some, Kirk sprung to his feet. The room's lights had turned a ruby red to indicate the danger floating outside the window. They had come to engage in a civil meeting to lay out a plan of action to capture Khan after the devastating bombing this morning. Before any of them really realized it, they were being shot at._

 _Kirk pulled a small gun from his side belt and made his way towards the windowed hallway, hoping to get a better shot of the person responsible for this chaos. As he raced towards the hallway, another series of shots sent him flying off his feet and hitting the wall square in the shoulder. He winced at the pain as he came back down to the ground. He gripped his shoulder for a second as his eyes scanned about the place. That's when everything seemed to move in slow motion. For lying in the other room, on a small sofa, was Captain Christopher Pike._

 _As if he had tunnel vision, Kirk released hold of his throbbing shoulder and ran to Pike's side. As he knelt by Pike's side, the shouting increased along with the floor vibrating shooting. Bones stood off to the side; a look of utter sorrow etched onto his face. As Kirk turned to look up at Bones fleetingly, he saw him shake his head slowly. Tears threatened to erupt from Kirk then as he faced Pike, whose every breath seemed to be coming to him in more ragged breaths. Pike looked at Kirk as blood started to appear at the corners of his lips._

" _Kirk...don't go giving up..."_

" _I won't..." Kirk whispered in a quivering voice, leaning over Pike so he could see him better. One of his hands reached out in a trembling fashion to latch on to his breast pocket. "You don't go giving up either. You can make it, Captain. Just hold on..."_

" _Kirk..." Pike's eyes glistened with tears as he focused on Kirk's face as tears silently fell from his eyes. "It's time for you to be the Captain again, son..."_

 _Kirk hiccuped from the force of the tears as the blood fell from Pike's mouth in a red river. Kirk's grip on Pike's breast pocket grew tighter as the sorrow and anger flooded through him all at once._

" _No! NO!" screamed out Kirk as Bones leaned down towards him to try to comfort him._

 _Before Bones could get the chance to though, Kirk sprung to his feet; the anger and sorrow making a wild look appear in his aquamarine gaze. He bent to grab a larger weapon off the ground that had somehow become discarded there in the fray. Bones tried to reach for Kirk to stop him, but Kirk wasn't going to be stopped. Not now._

" _I'm going to kill whoever did this..." growled Kirk under his breath as he ran with a fiercer determination than before to the windowed hallway._

 _As he had thought, as soon as he entered the hallway, he had a clear view of the ship that was shooting at the building. He pressed his back against a pillar once as he felt the vibrations of shots being peppered towards the building once more. He closed his eyes for a second, gathering up the courage and telling himself that he was doing this for Pike, before flipping into view from his hiding place. He aimed the gun at the ship and took a shot, watching as the glass of the window shattering in a thousand different directions._

 _The shot made contact with the ship and caused the ship to start making whining noises as an engine started to die. As it spun in a slight spiral, trying to survive off of one engine, Kirk peered towards the driver's seat. He had to know who was responsible for this terror. As the ship's driver window spun into Kirk's view, he noticed the ice cold face of a man staring back at him before disappearing as he was beamed away. Kirk panted after the man vanished and the ship crashed, leaning out the window slightly to see the fiery rubble that was left. As Kirk drew himself back into the building to help plot out the next move, he couldn't get those man's eyes out of his head. They seemed to have burned their presence into his mind. Kirk was glad for this fact though. He wanted to remember every detail of the man so he could be the one to drain the life from those eyes just as he had done to the man that had changed Kirk's life for the better._

* * *

Kirk jerked himself awake after having recalled that dreadful moment in his dream. He focused his gaze up at the ceiling as he tried to even his breathing. No one seemed to be in sight at that moment. Not even Bones. Kirk was thankful for that though. He didn't want to admit to anyone that he had been plagued by his dredged up memories. Captains weren't suppose to let themselves be so emotional while leading the charge.

Emitting a small groan, he forced himself to sit up, placing a hand to his head. A small part of the headache still pricked at his head, causing just enough pain to make him uncomfortable. Before he could get up to find more medicine to take, Bones reappeared in the room, looking disgruntled. Seeing Kirk sitting up and fixing him with a weird look, he quickly strode over to him.

"How long have you been up?"

"Not long," replied Kirk. "Head still hurts though..."

"I can't administer you another dose yet, Kirk," said Bones softly as he reached out to place his hand on Kirk's shoulder to force him to lay down again. "Try to sleep more and I'll give you more when you can have it."

"Where did you go?" asked Kirk as he laid back down, not bothering to fight it.

"I went to see Scotty. That was a mistake."

"Why did you go see him?"

Bones paced to the other side of the room to retrieve two of the emergency blankets from the corner. He went back over to Kirk's bedside and draped one over him before taking up residence in a nearby chair and wrapping the other about his shoulders.

"Lets just say, you'll need the blanket."

Kirk smirked softly as he allowed himself to close his eyes. The blanket was making him warm, which was making him feel sleepy again. As he began to drift off to sleep once more, he tried to temporarily push aside all thoughts of Khan and Pike. He had to rest. He'd be no good in avenging Pike's death if he couldn't even keep away a headache. He never had a chance to meet his real father, so he never had a chance to let him down. Kirk's last thought before he finally fully submitted to sleep was that he wasn't about to let his second father, Pike, down. No matter what the cost.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Spock's voice in the following chapter is OC (out of character), and will only be so for this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 3

"Scotty, are you done with the warp core repair yet?" asked Spock from his position in the captain's chair. An hour had passed, and they were still at an utter stand still. Spock sat with his legs crossed; one arm propped up on the arm rest to hold his head.

"Almost, Spock. 'Less you want to come down here, and fight with the finicky thing yourself..."

Spock let out a small sigh as he asked, "Can I at least have a new time estimate?"

A bang followed by a slew of cursing proceeded Scotty before he said, "Give me five more minutes..."

Spock dropped communication lines then and turned back to face the crew of the Enterprise, who were all listless and bored on the bridge as they awaited launch. Spock swiveled his chair slightly to look at Uhura, who was seated on the small tier behind him.

"Is Khan Singh still in the same location or has he caught wind of the operation?"

Without turning around to face Spock, she let her fingers nimbly run over the keys until she was able to pull up the information that he wanted.

"He hasn't moved as of yet, but that doesn't mean it won't change once the ship is in motion."

Spock's hand slammed on the com button again out of irritation.

"Is it done yet?"

"Oiy! It's only been two minutes! Use your Vulcan mind for once, Spock."

"You do not talk to a first officer in that tone of voice. Do I make myself clear?" asked Spock as his eyebrows narrowed in anger; a dark undertone seeping into his voice like a storm cloud.

"What tone of voice? Shall I take on a different accent then?"

"Scotty, you know _exactly_ what I mean. Do not toy with me..."

* * *

Bones could hear the faint strains of the argument echo down the hall into the medical bay. Though the medical bay wasn't particularly close to the bridge itself, the fight between Scotty and Spock had reached extremely high levels. Sighing, Bones stood up with the blanket still firmly wrapped about his shoulders, and walked over to Kirk. He slipped one hand out from the cover of his blanket shawl to shake Kirk.

"Kirk…wake up."

Kirk's eyelids slowly slid back, allowing his aquamarine gaze to focus on Bones' face. He lifted a limp arm to his mouth so he could use the back of one hand to cover up a yawn.

"The core fixed?..."

"I'm afraid not, and I'm sure it won't at this rate."

"What do you mean?" asked Kirk as he slowly sat upright and stretched his arms above his head.

"Listen."

"What?" asked Kirk, clearly confused by what Bones had said.

As Kirk sat there, he listened as Bones had said and could pick up faint strains of Scotty's voice mixed with the brash voice of Spock's. Rolling his eyes, he stood up from the bed, dropping the blanket that had been covering him onto the floor.

"I wasn't even gone for more than an hour, and they are at each other's throats..." muttered Kirk as he quickly walked towards the doors of the medical bay.

"That's longer than I thought they'd last to be honest," said Bones as he followed quickly behind Kirk, holding tightly to the blanket shawl as they both brushed out of the medical bay.

As they both raced to the bridge, Spock and Scotty's voices seemed to only grow in volume and intensity.

"You said it'd only be five minutes, five minutes ago! Why isn't it fixed yet?"

"Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that you've been reaming me out for not having it fixed this whole time."

"I wouldn't have had to ream you out as severely if you hadn't insisted on trying to take on every accent under the sun!"

"Well, you didn't like my tone of voice..."

"YOU KNEW WHAT I MEANT!"

Kirk burst on to the bridge and strode towards Spock with an angered look on his face. Bones stood directly behind Kirk, looking down at Spock in his enraged state.

"Spock!"

Spock immediately stood up and spun around to face the bridge door to see an angry Kirk glowering there. Kirk crossed his arms across his chest as he shot daggers at Spock. Spock, instead of humbly backing down and realizing the childish nature of his argument, insisted on defending himself. He pointed an accusing finger at the com speaker as he said, "Scotty is unfit for duty, sir. He refuses to fix the core, and instead is acting extremely childish."

"I think you _both_ are acting rather childish, Spock. Lets not forget that you no doubt are the instigator of this squabble. Are you suggesting that the pair of you are unfit for duty?"

"No...sir," said Spock, quickly bending his head and trying to shuffle back to his normal spot on the bridge. "My apologies."

Kirk merely nodded his head before strolling down the small expanse of steps to the Captain's chair. He took a seat before pressing the com button and reconnecting with Scotty.

"And another thing you..."

"Scotty, it's me," said Kirk, immediately cutting off the tirade that was no doubt about to leave Scotty's mouth, "I'm back in control of the bridge."

"Ah, I see. Apologies, Captain. I thought you were Spock."

"It's alright, Scotty, but I'd appreciate it if we'd drop the childish feud now. The pair of you have no doubt wasted valuable time."

"Again, my apologies. If you afford me another minute or two, I'll have her up and runnin'. I promise."

Kirk caught Spock rolling his eyes out of the corner of his own eye.

"Thank you, Scotty."

As he dropped the com, Kirk turned to face all of the people on the bridge, who were all staring at him with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"As of right now, we are all to prepare for intercepting Khan Singh before he relocates. This will take commitment and cooperation on the part of all members of the Enterprise. If you feel that I am asking too much of you through asking for such a commitment, you are free to disembark. I shall have someone beam you back to headquarters."

When no one made any moves, Kirk nodded his head slightly and continued, "Alright. Seeing as no one has stepped forward, I take it that I have put my point across. Go about final preparations before warp. I need to see maps of the area Khan Singh is currently hiding in as well so I can better anticipate how to intercept him once we arrive."

As the crew began to busy themselves, Kirk stood up and walked over to Uhura. He placed his hands on the back of her chair as she was busy inputting information.

"Why didn't you attempt to stop Spock and Scotty earlier? I mean, Spock _is_ your boyfriend, isn't he?"

"I'd prefer if you'd separate the words 'boy' and 'friend' when you refer to Spock's relationship to me, Captain," replied Uhura coolly as she stayed fixated on the screen.

"Are the two of you having a disagreement of some sort?"

"It's a personal matter, Captain, which should be none of your concern."

Kirk held up his hands in a gesture of surrender as he turned to walk back to his chair.

"Alright. I'll let the matter drop."

As Kirk walked back to his chair, he noticed that Bones was still hovering in the bridge doorway with the blanket about his shoulders.

"Are you really still cold?" asked Kirk with a slight smirk as he forced himself to become relaxed again.

Bones looked at the blanket draped about his shoulders as if he had forgotten about putting it there in the first place. He shrugged it off and set it aside before coming to stand near Kirk as he was handed a map of Khan's current location.

As Kirk was studying the map, the doors of the bridge flew wide open and Scotty strolled in with a wrench over his head in a victory salute.

"I fixed it, Cap'n!" exclaimed an exuberant Scotty, pretending to proclaim this fact in a different accent.

Spock, who had just settled back into his station, quickly jumped from his chair and marched towards Scotty.

"I thought we agreed to end this petty argument."

"What argument? I was just telling Captain Kirk I fixed the core and we're ready to go."

"The accent! Did you _really_ have to use the accent when you were telling him?"

"Are there rules that say I can't? What if that was my joyful accent?"

"You do not have a joyful accent. Any one only ever has one true accent. They don't have several simply based on emotions!"

"Oh right. I can't be right. You're Vulcan. Vulcan's know everything, right? Well then, if that's so, why didn't _you_ come fix the core?"

Spock's normally pale face was slowly taking on a red hue as anger grew inside him, threatening to boil over at Scotty.

"Why I..."

"ENOUGH!" shouted Kirk as he thrust the map into Bones' hands and looked at them. "Both of you sit, or I shall have you both revoked from this mission."

As the rest of the crew began to sit, Kirk rolled his eyes and brushed past Bones.

"You should have let me sleep..." Kirk teased Bones before assuming the Captain's chair once more and preparing to set the Enterprise into warp to attempt to capture Khan.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Uhura. Spock. Are you both ready?" asked Kirk as he boarded the small ship that would soon be shot down to Kronos to find Khan and hopefully remain undetected by the Klingons nearby.

Uhura and Spock both stood on opposite sides of the hall as they were getting suited up to go down. To Kirk, the two of them were acting as if they were two opposite poles on a magnet. Neither of them were very fond at looking at one another, let alone standing close enough to board at once. As Kirk looked at them finally take their seats in the ship, he couldn't keep himself from rolling his eyes. He buckled up and as he reached above him to flick a start up switch said, "I should hope that, for the safety purposes of this mission, you have left all domestic issues at the door."

"Captain, there are no domestic issues here. Just a clash of views is all. We shall remain completely professional during the mission. Emotions are an inconvenience. Every Vulcan knows that."

Spock's statement caused an irritated huff to fly from Uhura's mouth. She snapped her buckle into place before tapping away at the display in front of her to bring up the necessary coordinates.

"So I'm an inconvenience, hmm?"

"I stated that emotions were, Uhura, not you. You just need to learn to have a better handle on your emotions."

"Just because I stated one thing that you found irrational makes me over emotional, does it?"

"Would you two stop it?" asked Kirk as the ship guttered to life underneath them and he started to direct it away from the Enterprise towards Kronos.

Silence invaded the air after Kirk's statement, which left him happy and satisfied. He kept a firm grip on the controls in front of him as he steered them towards Kronos. As they entered the atmosphere, a loud alarm sounded in the ship, causing all three passengers to cast their eyes upwards in alarm.

"We have been detected, Captain," commented Uhura, trying to keep her voice calm.

As Kirk turned slightly to swivel his head, he saw the approaching Klingon ships. Right now they were far away, appearing as mere black dots than ships, but Kirk knew deep down that it wouldn't be long before that fact changed. He quickly turned back around and started to press buttons to get them away from the Klingons, when Uhura pulled him up short.

"Captain, if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion?"

"Yes, Uhura?"

"Perhaps we can civilly converse with them and explain our purpose for being here."

"Can you speak Klingon?" asked Kirk as he flicked a switch to try to turn on their cloaking.

"Yes, I can sir."

Spock turned slightly in his seat to look at Uhura.

"It's dangerous."

"I realize this, Spock," stated Uhura as she got irritated, "But right now it seems like the best, viable option that we have."

When the cloaking device started to malfunction, Kirk realized that having Uhura attempt to talk to the Klingons _was_ really the only choice they had left. He nodded grimly as he moved to start bringing the ship down towards Kronos for an immediate landing.

"She's right, Spock. This is really the only option we have left."

"But it's not safe."

"I'll be there to back her up," promised Kirk.

Spock nodded then, and consented to Kirk's decision.

"Alright, Captain. Lets land this ship then.

As they came to rest on the surface of Kronos, Kirk's eyes looked out at the massive rocks that towered everywhere, no doubt evidence of a once thriving civilization. Kirk undid his belt, followed quickly by Uhura and Spock. Kirk walked past the two of them to where the weapons were stored and handed a gun to Uhura.

"Use this if you need to," he said as he slipped another one to Spock before putting one for himself in his belt. "I don't want you getting killed out there."

Uhura gave him a small smile, and nodded her head. As she slipped the gun away into her belt, Kirk moved to look out the window again. The Klingon ships were slowly starting to land nearby, causing a whirlwind of dust to flurry up into the air. Spock moved to stand behind Kirk and look over his shoulder to the outside world.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to back her up adequately if something goes wrong, Captain?" asked Spock.

"I'm certainly going to try my best, Spock," said Kirk as he turned slightly to look at him, "I shall try my best."

"Are you boys ready?" asked Uhura, quirking a brow as she looked at the pair of them clustered near the window.

Kirk and Spock stood upright and nodded their heads quickly. Uhura smiled softly at the both of them before moving past them to press the button that opened the door. The two of them watched as Uhura straightened her back and bravely went out to meet the Klingons as their door opened too. Kirk turned to look at Spock with a small smile, slapping him between the shoulder blades gently.

"If I were you, I'd resolve your differences with Uhura. She's a keeper."

A strange look passed over Spock's face, causing Kirk to smirk as he followed behind Uhura, making sure that his weapon was completely concealed.

* * *

The transaction between Uhura and the Klingon leader did not seem to be going well at all.

Kirk watched from his stance and noticed the agitated looks upon the Klingon leader's face as the conversation wore on more. Kirk slowly moved a hand to his waist to place upon the handle of his gun, seeing Spock do the same out of the corner of his eye. Something told Kirk that he would need it soon.

Sure enough, a loud roar seemed to rip from the Klingon leader's throat and Uhura was grabbed by the neck. Spock jumped to action first, withdrawing his gun half a second before Kirk drew his own. The Klingon leader used his free hand and flicked it dismissively towards Kirk and Spock to let his henchmen that it was time to finish them off.

Kirk and Spock's guns sounded through the air then, but ended up being pathetic in compare to the weapons of their opponents. The gun was shot from Kirk's hand as he tried to provide backup for Spock as he made his way to pick up Uhura, who had been carelessly flung to the side like a rag doll. Kirk cradled his hand once the gun was shot free of it, and dropped to the ground. He immediately began to try to scamper into hiding behind a nearby boulder, motioning for Uhura and Spock to do the same.

Suddenly a loud blast decorated the air. Kirk curled into a ball on the ground and tucked his head between his arms as he watched a body fall to the ground in front of him. The Klingon was dead; it's head a smoking lump. Kirk rose his brows in shock. He had no idea what had happened to the Klingon. Their guns were not that powerful. As he turned his head to the side, he noticed a figure in a black cloak, shooting at the Klingons left and right and making them drop dead like flies. Kirk tried to move to stand up as the mysterious figure drew closer, when the figure reached down and roughly laid a hand on his shoulder to shove him back down, shooting his gun with the other.

"Stay down," the voice said in a growl.

As soon as all the Klingons were either dead or had run away, Kirk looked up at the mysterious stranger that towered near him. The mysterious stranger reached up to flick down his hood as Kirk slowly rose to his feet and Uhura and Spock rushed to his side to rejoin him. Kirk's eyes widened as the man who's picture he'd been obsessing over before the flight stood right in front of him.

"You're John Harrison. You're Khan..."

A sly smile overtook Khan's face as he tossed his weapon aside and held his arms wide open as if he expected some sort of hug. Kirk gritted his teeth in anger at the look upon Khan's face, thinking back over how he had killed Pike and made everyone's lives miserable. Clenching his hands into fists, he dove at the side of Khan's face and proceeded to punch him over and over. Khan let him.

Uhura and Spock watched as Krik dealt punch after punch upon Khan's face. Uhura and Spock both exchanged glances before Spock dared to step forward and lay a hand on Kirk's shoulder to pull him up short.

"Kirk, I think that's enough."

Kirk snapped out of his angry daze and turned to look at Spock before looking down at his now throbbing knuckle. Spock was right. It was enough. He cleared his throat and backed away slightly as Khan lifted his head up; the same stupid smirk upon his face.

"Are we done, _Captain?"_

"You're lucky I am," Kirk snapped in reply before looking at Spock. "Cuff him and bring him back with us. He's under arrest."

"As you wish, Captain."

As Spock walked past Kirk to go place handcuffs on Khan, Khan looked at Kirk and asked with a sneer, "Enjoying the power?"

Spock moved to lead Khan past him and Kirk turned around to look at Khan as he was lead past him, trying to abate his anger. Never had he felt such heated anger towards anyone.

"Enjoying your arrest?" asked Kirk, following along beside Spock.

"Oh, much more than you think," said Khan as he turned away and was led onto the ship.

Kirk and Uhura followed Spock onto the ship. Spock and Uhura went to their seats to start up the ship while Kirk went to go make sure the prisoner was fastened in securely. Khan watched him carefully as Kirk made sure the strap was on him securely. Kirk dug out a gun after he checked the belt and dug it into Khan's side. Khan rolled his eyes before looking up to lock them on Kirk.

"Don't be too rash, Captain. Besides, you might find out sooner or later that you'll need me."

"I'll _never_ need a murderer..." Kirk said through gritted teeth, glaring at Khan. "You need to keep your mouth shut and thank your stars you're still alive."

"I gave up thanking my stars long ago. Luck is only for those who feel that can't handle things adequately on their own, after all."

Kirk growled once more before removing the gun from Khan's side and going back to meet Spock and Uhura to direct the ship back to the Enterprise. He wouldn't allow Khan to get to him. As they started to fly away from Kronos, Kirk couldn't help but think back on Khan and wonder why the man enraged him yet fascinated him at the same time.


	5. Chapter 5

****AN: Sorry for the long wait! Hoping to get back into the swing of things soon. Hopefully this chapter was well worth the wait! :)****

* * *

Chapter 5

Anyone could clearly see how much Khan was able to get under Kirk's skin. Spock, being the logical one, had advised Kirk to keep his distance from the man. Of course though, Kirk could never listen to direct instructions. Some things would never cease to change. Waiting until the crew was asleep later that night, Kirk made his way down to the place where Khan was being kept prisoner. The only other person there at that time was a guard that had been tasked to watch him. Kirk walked over to the man, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey man. You can go rest. I've got him for a bit."

"But Spock said..."

"Who's the captain?" He asked softly with a smirk.

The man chuckled a bit uneasily then, but nodded. Rising from his seat, he left the room, leaving Kirk alone with Khan. Khan was currently lying down on the wall cot in his cell, curled up and facing the wall. Kirk chuckled as he walked over to stand in front of the window, crossing his arms.

"I don't know who you're trying to fool. It's clear to anyone that you aren't asleep."

A deep chuckle came from Khan then as the man slowly sat up, turning to look at Kirk as he stood there.

"Can't sleep, Captain?"

Again, the sarcasm seemed to run deep in the man's voice. Kirk didn't know why. Sure they had captured him and were about to take him back to have him be judged for what he had done, but that didn't warrant this level of sarcasm. The level of sarcasm that Khan was using was on a personal level, as if he knew him. That couldn't be true though. Yet, here Kirk was, getting entranced by the man that was suppose to be his enemy yet again. It was something that he couldn't explain either.

"You're a prisoner. It'd be wise if you didn't use that level of sarcasm with me while you are in my presence."

Khan's lips curled into a smirk as he sat up on the cot, leaning his back against the metal wall behind him. Kirk didn't move from his position in front of the glass as he watched Khan's every movement.

"Is there a reason that you can't sleep? Having nightmares?"

In fact, Kirk _had_ been having nightmares, but there was no need to tell this cold-hearted criminal that. If anything the nightmares were because of Khan. He couldn't seem to stop dreaming about the moment that Pike had died, and each time he was just as helpless to save him as the last. The thing that he detested the most was being helpless. He felt a hatred bloom in his chest for this cocky man in front of him, and an almost savage and revengeful need to take his life.

When Kirk didn't answer him, Khan's smirk grew wider; snaking across his face and into his eyes, causing them to glint with mischief.

"Is there a reason _you_ can't sleep? Busy plotting?"

The smirk twitched on Khan's face; his eyes never leaving Kirk and his crossed arms.

"Poor comeback, Captain."

"I wasn't trying to outwit you with a comeback, _murderer_."

Kirk couldn't keep the bite out of his voice with that reply. He honestly tried, but it just seemed to seep out. This man had killed the only father figure he had ever had in his life.

"You're angry."

Kirk didn't answer Khan. He wasn't about to let himself be goaded by him. He moved to turn to go, wondering why he had even come tonight, when he heard Khan ask something that froze him right in his tracks, "Tired of them lying to you?"

Whipping around, Kirk faced Khan again; his blue eyes flaming with anger then as he looked at Khan. Khan shook his head, making a tsking sound as he rose to his feet and slowly stalk towards the glass divider between the two of them.

"You haven't learned yet? I thought someone might have at least hinted to it along the way."

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you never gotten the cold shoulder, Captain? Have you ever not been treated fairly? Ever made to think that what you were doing was rash or a mistake?"

Kirk allowed himself to think about that for a second, but soon stopped himself. There were plenty of opportunities like that in his line of work as a captain. Spock and Pike had been wary of him (Spock more so), but they had in the end agreed with whatever decision he had come to.

"Of course I have. Pretty sure that it's safe to say everyone has in their life."

"Oh Kirk," Khan shook his head again.

"Oh what?" He asked, gritting his teeth a bit.

"Don't you get it? They have been lying to you your entire life. You have been made to think you are a part of them, and you're not."

"Stop being cryptic. You're trying to get a rise out of me for your amusement, that's it."

"You always were hard headed. Some things really never change. I'm not just trying to get a rise out of you, no matter how entertaining it truly is. I'm doing what no one else has done to you before, which is be honest. Your father never died a hero. Your father, your _real_ father died as a prisoner in my prisons. He was a thief, and he was training you to be the same way. You always wanted the power position though. You wanted my seat, and I could always tell you were trying to think of ways to unseat me, then they came. They took all our species prisoner, and you were the guinea pig. They unfroze you first and wanted to see how easy it would be to brainwash you into thinking you were someone else, and make you comply to a new set of rules. Obviously it worked too well. You don't even remember your own blood."

"I'm _not_ one of you if that's what you are insinuating," said Kirk with a growl of anger in his voice.

"That's _exactly_ what I'm insinuating," said Khan with his ever present smile. "Get angry, Kirk. Let me…"

Kirk cut him off as, before he realized it, his fisted hand came up and punched hard into the shatter proof glass, causing it to vibrate. His eyes were like two blue flames then as he leered his face close to the glass and snapped, "I'm not a cold-hearted serpent like you..."

"There's the Kirk I remember..." Khan said with a low chuckle, not even having flinched at anything Kirk had just done.

Without another word, Kirk turned to storm off then; Khan's chuckling in the background. Kirk was bound and determined to prove Khan wrong. He didn't want to believe such darkness could actually be the truth.


End file.
